I'm Alive
by Laura-Grace
Summary: In every city there are families. In every family there is a face. In every face there is a story. In every story there is a lesson. Every lesson links us, knowingly or not, to each other. Sometimes these stories have happy endings. Not always.


I'm Alive

__

In every city there are families. In every family there is a face. In every face there is a story. In every story there is a lesson. Every lesson links us, knowingly or not, to each other. Sometimes these stories have happy endings. Not always.

A/N: Yay! Another Takari semi-angst! Sorry. My friend's writing a Takari/Kenlei angst and I've been helping her look for good ones. If you want some, I'm not sure if some of these are still on, but there's one Takari that's really good: Who Will Pray For Me, by Archangel Bloodraven. I mean it, I was seriously crying when I first read it. Definitely Kleenex-nearby-story. But anyway, back to MY story.

DISCLAIMER: I own nobody.

LYRICS: I'm Alive, Jaci Velasquez.

****

The first breath

A new sky

You hung the stars 

And placed the sunrise

"Hey, anybody gonna eat that last marshmallow?"

"Not now that you've put it in your mouth, Davis!"

"Hey, losers weepers."

"Oh, go away!"

"Why don't you, K.T.?"

"Hey, you two!" Kari Kamiya finally exclaimed. "Come on, stop it!"

"Yeah!" Yolei Inoue added. "The sun's about to come up!"

"Oh, wow, a sunrise." Davis Motamiya muttered unenthusiastically but obediently turned his head upwards towards the sky.

****

Painted colors

Yellow and green

And every other in between

The two girls looked absolutely enthralled at the colours that shifted upward. Davis looked as if he could care less, Cody was long since conked out, but Ken and T.K. actually found themselves seeing why their girlfriends were so entranced by the colours. The way that the deep blue turned to light yellow, and in such a subtle way that you didn't notice until it was done. It was beyond description.

****

From the dust

Became flesh and bone

The greatest gift I've known

The winds picked up just then. Lifting an arm to protect themselves, they all just weren't quick enough to escape a whiff of dust. The boys all sneezed a few times then recovered, and Yolei started spitting out dust from her mouth, but Kari was coughing for quite a few minutes before she finally stopped.

"Hey, you okay?" T.K. asked softly, allowing her to lie back against his chest.

"Yeah, fine." Kari yawned, closing her eyes.

"Hey, that looks good right now," Yolei mumbled, snuggling into Ken's arms and falling asleep. Within minutes, the three boys had dropped off as well, with the promise of a four-hour drive back to the city in a few hours.

****

I'm alive

I'm alive

I feel Your arms around me

Your eyes of love surround me

Kari awoke with a sort of weight in her chest. Not the emotional sort, the literal physical sense. Not wanting to go back into Odaiba and the life she didn't want to live, she snuggled closer into T.K. and willed herself to sleep again, but it didn't work.

"Don't even bother, Kari, I know you're awake," T.K.'s gentle voice came in her ear.

"All right, so I am," Kari responded.

****

I'm alive

To shine in pure perfection

And wake up every morning

In Your light

*T.K.'s POV*

There's something wrong with her. Oh, she tries to hide it, but we can all tell.

And the way Tai's unusually protective of her, even now. I mean, she's 16. They can't keep her locked up in her ivory tower forever.

Then the way it took Kari such a long time to convince their parents to let her come on this camping trip. I wouldn't be suspicious, if they hadn't given Tai immediate permission when HE went a few years ago with Matt and the other older Digidestined.

But for right now, my sweetest Kari, I won't worry about you. Right now, while you're sound asleep in my arms, I can admire the way you just seem so perfect.

****

I'm so glad

I'm alive

*3rd person POV*

At about 10 o'clock later that morning, the six Digidestined broke camp and headed back to Odaiba in their two separate cars: T.K., Yolei and Cody in the van T.K. managed to wangle out of his father for the weekend, and Ken, Kari and Davis in Ken's car.

"Hey, Kari, you okay?" Ken asked, casting a sideways glance at his cousin. (A/N: Yes, I made that aspect of the story up...) "You still look a little sick."

"I'm _fine_." Kari groaned. "Just drop me off at Livya's place on the way back. Mom said she'd pick me up there."

"Gotcha." Ken agreed. "So we'll drop Davie off first."

"Don't call me Davie!" Davis whined.

"Don't distract me while I'm driving!" Ken shot back.

As the two continued to good-naturedly throw insults in each other's faces, Kari shook her head, leaned back and closed her eyes. _This_ was the reason she loved every day of her meager existence.

****

Bare feet

My first steps

And new dreams

In every sunset

*One month later*

Kari yelped and laughed as the cold waves hit her feet, enveloping them in a freezing puddle before running back down and hitting her again.

"Having fun?" T.K. asked, wrapping his arms around her shoulders from behind.

"Of course," Kari answered, snuggling back. "You?"

"Anywhere with you is fun to me," T.K. answered, kissing her neck.

"Oh, get off me," Kari laughed as T.K. released her, then captured her hand with his own, and they walked along the beach, with the sunset at their backs.

****

What a gift

That You give me every day

But what a price You had to pay

"Kari, you brought this on yourself." 20-year-old Tai stated.

"Oh, shut up, Tai, you're not my mother." Kari snapped, stopping to have a paroxysm of coughs and collapsing in fatigue on her bed.

"Yeah, well, I _am_ your brother. But you did bring this on yourself. You know you're sick, you know going out in the woods when all the pollen and stuff is at its worst will get you really sick eventually, and still you insist on doing it."

"I'm not a porcelain doll, Tai," Kari scoffed. "You can't just keep me boxed up for the rest of my life."

"We can try," Tai continued stubbornly. "Do the others besides Ken know you're sick?"

"Yes."

"Exactly how sick?"

"No. I decided not to burden them with the worry."

"They're not going to stay ignorant for long, Kari. You're sick too often."

"I'll deal with that when it comes."

Life traveling on

And when my time has come

To say farewell

From dust to dust

But You bring me safely home

*One week later*

"Told you so." Tai hissed at Kari as he entered the hospital room.

"Shut... up..." Kari managed to rasp out, glaring at her brother.

"Fat chance," Tai scoffed. "I was just over at the apartment, getting you some things. The phone's ringing off the hook. The machine's filled with messages."

"Who's been calling?" Oren Kamiya, Tai and Kari's dad, asked.

"There's probably about fifty messages on the tape. One of them for you: Mr. Erindish wants you to phone back before the end of the week. Couple of them are from Aunt Kina."

"Nosy little..." Aiko, their mom, muttered. "Probably wants gossip to spread around town."

"Mom..." Kari said warningly.

"The rest of them are from _various people_, wanting to know where Kari is. Mainly T.K. and Yolei."

"Do Weslen and Takara know?" Oren asked, referring to his brother-in-law and sister, Ken's parents.

"Of course." Tai said. "That was the other message. They called to say the three of them were on their way here."

"Darn..." Kari muttered, coughing harshly. "No way... they're not... going... to find... out... Ken can't... keep any... thing... from Yolei..."

"Kari, stop talking." Aiko said softly, brushing back a stray strand from her daughter's face. "Concentrate on getting better."

She never did.

I take my first breath

I see the new sky

I hear the angels

I see my Father's eyes

And I know, I know


End file.
